I don't have any personal anecdotes to add to this thread as I don't have the game but I saw this tier list from a Japanese player on Twitter and thought I'd share it.
(I used the automatic translation for explanations, but replace "Armarouge" with "Skarmory," no idea how Grok decided エアームド was a Pokémon not in Z-A whose Japanese name is not remotely similar [グレンアルマ].)
OH and now that it occurs to me, I'm a little surprised to see Talonflame on here!
I thought he'd end up kinda niche but I can see why he'd be good, what with both ground immunity and steel resis, and I've gotten surprising amounts of success with him.
I'll share my set below but I'm down to know how y'all run yours, especially since I really dunno how to handle the EV spread/nature.
- Flare Blitz / Brave Bird: Physical nuke to swoop in and steal kills with.
- Heat Wave / Air Slash: Ranged move to chip/finish off opponents from a distance. Flamethrower can't match HW's range and consistency, so its slightly shorter cooldown's not really worth it in my book.
- U-Turn: Lets him retreat after Flare/BB or escape an opponent who's getting too close. Talonflame engaging/disengaging on
its terms, not theirs, makes all the difference.
- Bulk Up: Great setup to use before dive-bombing with his phys nuke and bailing right after with U-Turn, boosting both his damage output and longevity.
I'll probably run Leftovers with him once I get it, since it synergizes with his spacing-based playstyle and helps recover from recoil.